I thought garlic was planted on the shortest day of the year dec 21st and harvested on the longest? in which case we're only halfway to planting time!
Anyone heard that rumour that if you plant saved cloves from your previous crop the garlic becomes more and more happy in your soil and performs better over time?

It's all to do with the frost I believe, vernalisation, and late planted garlic and a poor spring will take an age to get going and lead to small bulbs. I find autumn planted can be harvested in late may.

I imagine that your advice is entirely correct concerning your own experience.

In my part of the world you need to get your garlic in the ground before the ground is frozen and has a foot of snow on it. Mid-October is probably the latest you'd want to plant it here. (not that there's necessarily snow by then, but you want the garlic to have a chance to grow some roots)

Yes, I've read some US websites who put a lot of effort in determining when the best time to plant is. My method is usually to start thinking about getting around to it sometime soon, about now, and then some domestic crisis happens or relatives with good intentions do something, the days get shorter and it's always dark, and eventually it has to be done in the pissing rain.

My garlic finally broke the surface this week after planting in November. However, the following morning they were all gone and there was a strong smell of garlic.

I assumed they had been had by mice and I spent the afternoon swearing about mice while sorting out some mouse-proof mesh to put on part of the bed to try to save any survivors which were still underground. When I went out to fit it, the garlic shoots had miraculously re-appeared!

We'd had a frost in the night, the ground had heaved and subsequently thawed; the garlic smell was possible caused by the shoots being scraped by the moving soil or as OH suggested was all in my imagination.

We have the best garlic we have ever grown.Planted in the poly tunnel in October last year.
Dug an elephant bulb last week,weighed in at 1lb 2oz.
Naturally, the old git at the plot said it wouldn`t work,but we more than happy with the result.